They had all loved her
by Calico Star
Summary: Each one of them loved her, but ...
1. Chapter 1

She remembered her mother, putting her to bed with a good night kiss and a soft "I love you". She remembered feeling safe and loved in her arms.

Then her mother left. From one day to the next she had lost the stability in her life.

Life planetside and a career in the political society of her home planet was more important to this woman than motherhood and a little redheaded daughter.

* * *

Her father called her his little Booster Rocket. He taught her to fly. He built nanites into her hair so she could change the colour at will. He loved her.

When he started getting 'ill' she did what she could. She flew the Maru for him so the jobs would still be done and he would still be paid. As he got worst, she looked after him and ran inteference with his creditors. Later she even took some of his jobs herself to try and keep them flying. When she realised his 'illness' was actually Flash addiction, she tried to help him quit.

As much as he loved her, Flash was always more important to him.

* * *

Rafe was her big brother. Much as he loved to tease her and get her into trouble, he protected her from anyone else who wanted to hurt her. He looked after her in strange or dangerous drifts, made sure none of the crew hurt her. He taught her how to run a con and how to avoid being conned.

When things got too difficult, he left. He took off without a word to pursue his own interests. He would return at odd intervals when he had run out of money or needed to lay low for a bit, take whatever money he could get, maybe run up some debts and then disappear again.

He had more important things to do than stick around for her.


	2. Chapter 2

Her boyfriends followed a pattern. They were attracted to her beauty or the fact that she owned her own spaceship. The moved in, made themselves comfortable, used her for whatever, got bored, lied to her or cheated on her, she found out and kicked them out.

Take Bobby for example, he told her he loved her. He was passionate, about her and about his causes. He stuck around and backed her up when trouble came. They may not have been her causes (although he tried to convince her) but, how could you begrudge him doing good works. Even when she discovered he had lied to other, all she asked was that he never lie to her.

He asked her to help him by using the Maru to make a pickup from earth. Turns out they were actually stealing the stuff, turn out they were rescuing Harper (although this wasn't what Bobby had intended), turns out what they were stealing were weapons, not computers as Bobby had told her, and that they belonged to the Drago Kazov who were rather unhappy about the theft. Beka kicked him out for lying.

Turns out, his causes meant more to him than she did.


	3. Chapter 3

Sid was her father's friend and trusted partner, an uncle who brought her presents and chocolate. His departure from their lives had signaled the beginning of a slow and painful end for her father, but her memories of him were good ones. That was why, even though the message was three years old, she had answered his distress call.

Then she discovered the depth of his initial betrayal, promptly followed by getting her hooked on Flash and trying to kill her.

Power and ambition were more important to him than peoples lives, even his "best friend", and the children he had watched grow up.


	4. Chapter 4

Tyr was attracted to her, she knew that. He came to admire her independence and her survival instincts. When her confidence took a knock, he built her up.

When she allowed herself to hope that maybe he saw her as something more, he slapped her down with comments of cross breeding, and she realised she was still a kludge to him. Then he abandoned them to follow his dreams of a pride reborn. When they met again still later, he had become twisted by his desire for power. His pride, his ambition were the most important things in his life.

_

* * *

_

This is a calling, not a conversation. This is not a game, no manipulation.

_If love is a season, you were my winter. You were just the ice laying on my feet._

_Anastacia _


	5. Chapter 5

The first time she met Dylan, she was the 'enemy', trying to take over his ship.

Then he asked them to join him it was to help his cause – a restored Commonwealth. When he put her crew in danger, staying in the corona of the sun, she thought he was like all the others and prepared to leave.

She began to realise that a restored Commonwealth was his goal, and he put his all into it.

He got annoyed with them for being undisciplined, and their unorthodox approach.

One day she looked up and found him watching her, and the look in his eyes told her that he loved her, and that scared her.


	6. Chapter 6

The first time she met Dylan, she was the 'enemy', trying to take over his ship. Yet he warned her in time to escape the bomb he had planted.

Then he asked them to join him it was to help his cause – a restored Commonwealth. When he put her crew in danger, staying in the corona of the sun, she thought he was like all the others and prepared to leave.

Then she discovered that firstly, he had not known, could not have realised, the extent of the danger for someone like Harper, and secondly, that he had been working on an escape plan utilising all the varied skills her crew possessed.

She began to realise that although a restored Commonwealth was his goal, and he put his all into it, it was never to the exclusion of everyone else. His crew was important to him, as people, not as a means to an end.

He might get annoyed with them for being undisciplined, but equally he got angry with himself for sometimes forgetting that they weren't High Guard. He appreciated their unique talents and even sometimes, their unorthodox approach. He was by no means perfect, but would, as far as he possibly could, keep his promises, to individuals as well as to nations. He never left his people behind!

One day she looked up and found him watching her, and the look in his eyes told her that he loved her, and that scared her, until she looked again and saw the truth in his eyes.

As important as the Commonwealth was to him, she was just as important.


End file.
